Bathroom Decorating Ideas - Save Money By Decorating Your Wall Tiles!
When it comes to home improvements, after the kitchen the bathroom is the one room that can really eat into your budget. After hiring a professional plumber, one of the biggest costs when decorating a bathroom is tiling the walls. Even if you "do it yourself" you'll still end up forking out a fair bit to pay for the tiles and materials - and it can be a time-consuming and skilled task.
However, there is an alternative. Rather than going to the inconvenience and expense of re-tiling your walls, why not simply make the best of the ones you've got? Ceramic tiles are generally very durable, so even if your bathroom tiles are old or outdated, the chances are they still have lots of life left in them. Even if the odd one or two are cracked, you don't need to replace the whole lot - just replacing the broken ones is a much quicker and cheaper solution. There are several ways to decorate bathroom tiles, all of which are relatively easy to do and can be very effective at transforming dull or unattractive tiles and giving them a vibrant and stylish new look.
One method is to apply tile transfers to white or plain colored tiles, which is an effective way of adding color and pattern to an otherwise boring tiled wall. The first step here is to give your tiles a thorough clean to get rid of dirty residues like soap scum and limescale buildup. Use a non-abrasive scrubber and a good household cleaner, plus lots of elbow grease! Then you'll need to soak each transfer in turn in a large bowl or bucket of warm water. Once your transfer has had a sufficient soaking, you can remove it from the water and move it into position on your chosen tile. Take care here to ensure it's level and central before peeling off the backing paper and sticking the transfer image to the tile.
Use a clean, dry cloth to smooth out the transfer and remove any air bubbles. Transfers are really easy to apply and give you the freedom of designing your own patterned tiles for a tiny fraction of the cost of buying new tiles. However, you will need to remember to use a non-abrasive cleaner when you clean your bathroom to avoid damaging the finish.
Another idea for decorating bathroom tiles is to paint them. You can be creative here and come up with your own design by painting selected tiles in different colors, or stick to one color - the choice is yours. As with any type of painting, the secret is in the preparation, so in order to achieve a professional-looking finish don't rush this bit. You'll need to make sure your tiles are totally clean and dry, then use a very fine sandpaper to gently sand their glossy surface. This helps the paint to adhere better. You'll then need to clean the tiles again to get rid of all the dust.
Once the tiles are prepared, use a synthetic bristle brush to apply primer to each individual tile. Use vertical brush strokes and don't put too much primer on the brush, to ensure a neat even finish. It's important to allow the primer enough time to dry properly before you apply a second coat. Again, let this dry before you apply your chosen paint. Use an oil-based gloss paint for the best results, as this type of paint is better suited to the high moisture levels in bathrooms. Use at least two coats to achieve a tough and durable finish.
